UAE jobs forecast 2013: More hiring than firing

More employers in the country are expecting to hire: analysts

Dubai jobs and employment openings across the UAE are expected to be back in good numbers this year as the economy picks up after a relatively decent 2012, recruitment market analysts have predicted.

Employers are heading into the New Year with cautious optimism as the UAE jobs market opens up again.

The economy has been growing at a gradual but steady pace and is poised to stay on this path in 2013.

As a result, the UAE workforce can expect a year of new jobs in modest numbers, pay hikes in single digits, the return of the annual bonuses and in the absence of any untoward incident, layoff announcements that seem to have gone down with the gloomy days of the last recession will not be back.

Jennifer Campori, Managing Director, Middle East and Europe, Charterhouse Partnership sees the growth of 2012 continue well ahead in the next 12 months.

“There will certainly be continued growth across the UAE job market in 2013 and with the continued recovery of Dubai and announcement of new projects, we expect Q2 to set the stage for growth in 2013,” she told Emirates 24|7.

Agrees Suhail Masri, VP Sales at Bayt.com.

“Job counts on [our website and] quarterly research surveys indicate positive prospects for the year ahead.

“On an average day, there are over 11,000 jobs advertised on [our website], significantly up from the year before and similar numbers of unadvertised jobs are filled by employers indicating a robust pick up in hiring activity,” he explained.

More employers in the country are expecting to hire more than in recent years, but given the past weak years, along with a weak global market, UAE companies will continue to play it safe, foresee market experts.

“While many multinational organisations are taking a more cautious approach, waiting to see what happens in the Eurozone, many local companies are taking the opportunity to recruit both local and expatriate candidates to help manage growth initiatives and rising workloads,” Gareth El Mettouri, Associate Director at Robert Half International told this website.

Experts believe confidence is growing fast in the country as residents expect more jobs to open up and anticipate their personal incomes to go up.

According to a new survey by Bayt.com, 65.3 per cent of respondents (Mena based) are set to welcome 2013 with a new job.

“Financial executives are optimistic, with eight in 10 confident about both their country and company’s economic prospects, signalling additional hiring across the organisation.

“While volume has risen, the time it takes departments to hire has increased as well, often the result of multiple interview rounds for both permanent and temporary candidates and more senior-level sign-offs required before an offer is extended.

“With some profiles in short supply, many organisations are realising that their top choices are accepting offers from competing organisations,” added Mettouri.

Bayt.com’s latest quarterly consumer confidence survey (November 2012) “shows that prospects for the UAE are highly positive for the year 2013.

“[As per the survey] 49 per cent believe that their personal financial situation will improve, 47 per cent have similar positive hopes for the UAE’s economy, and 52 per cent also believe that business conditions will follow suit, while 37 per cent are optimistic about the availability of jobs,” said the bayt.com expert.